Friday Follies...

End of the week...AND, the end of the month.
Doesn't get any more convenient than than, does it?
And we did get that rain last evening as well as overnight.
Nice to have the thunder drown out any "neighbor" noise (keeps them inside, too).
Our Hoosierland weather for today finds us with partly cloudy skies, temps reaching into the low 80s again, and a continued possibility (a damn good one at that) of more thunderstorms and showers throughout most of the day.
Humidity will be right up there as well, so we can call it a bad hair day, too.

Now, let's get the weekend off to a good start  with a cup or glass of Friday Fortitude, as we take a look at what else is going on out there...
*** First out of the umbrella stand is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JUNE 30 -
---It's National Meteor Watch Day

(are you trying to tell me something I don't know?)
---It's Social Media Day

(only got one thing to say there - ROFLMAO!!!)
*** Next, and since we're at week's end and month's end, let's see what's coming our way over the next 48 hours, as well as for the following 31 days.
JULY -
---It's National Anti-Boredom Month

(you are kidding me, right?)
---It's National Baked Bean Month

(ahh...musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot)
---It's National Cell Phone Courtesy Month

(maybe it should be Punch An Ignorant S.O.B. Month, as well?)
---It's National Culinary Arts Month

(regular people call that stuff COOKING)
---It's National Horseradish Month

(where's the beef???)
---It's National Hot Dog Month

(all beef, if you please)
---It's National Ice Cream Month

(ANY month is good for that)
---It's National Independent Retailer Month

(mom and pop stores rejoice)
---It's National July Belongs To Blueberries Month

(add in the ice cream, and you got me interested)
---It's National Picnic Month

(just don't bring the ants or yellowjackets)
And now for the weekend specific observances...
JULY 1 -
---Saturday is National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day

(please, no vegetable or bacon-related ones)
---It's National Gingersnap Day

(somehow, this makes me think of Christmas)
---It's National Hop-A-Park Day

(yeah, like that's gonna happen)
---It's National Postal Worker Day

(leave the AK or AR at home)
---It's National U.S. Postage Stamp Day

(yes, we still use those, believe it or not)
JULY 2 -
---Sunday is National Anisette Day

(nice licorice-flavored aperitif)
There you have it...all you could possibly want to observe.
As always...please observe responsibly..."it's the law"...lol.
*** Next up, what's a really good way to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July?

Why, go and ROB A FIREWORKS STORE...right here in Fort Wayne, too. Here's the story:
http://wane.com/2017/06/29/police-investigate-armed-robbery-at-fireworks-store/
This took place at USA Fireworks, in the 1000 block of W. Coliseum Blvd around 2215 hrs last night.

Two suspects came into the store, with one placing a gun to an employee's head demanding cash, while the other one stood at the back door and collected fireworks.
A K-9 unit was unable to get a track, and (big surprise here) NO DESCRIPTIONS of the suspect were forthcoming from the FWPD. Come the hell on...you MUST have gotten SOME sort of description from the people working the store.
You afraid to say they might be BLACK? Would that bother people living NW in the city?
If they're WHITE, would that make a difference?
This kind of shit has to stop IF the police really WANT help from the citizens in this city.
This is a very disturbing trend. Other municipalities have no problem with providing video or descriptions of perps.
*** Next up, and along the lines of fireworks, there was an editorial in today's J-G that says the same thing we always hear at this time of year. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/20170630/sound-of-courtesy

The title of the editorial reads:
"Sound of courtesy - Follow law, use common sense on fireworks"
I KNOW they can't be referring to the idiots down here on the SE side.
They wouldn't know what COURTESY is, if it came up and bit them in their government-sponsored asses.
((It can mean discomfort for others, including veterans, people who are aged or ill, and pets. It can also mean danger. Those who set off fireworks need to be mindful of the risks and considerate of how unsettling those explosions can be for others.))
You think the f*cktards down here CARE about such things or people?
((“It is a very big problem,” said Jim Olds, commander of the Allen County Council of Veterans Organizations. “These fireworks really do cause flashbacks for some of our veterans. It's very disconcerting.
“If you know that your neighbor is a combat veteran,” Olds said, “try to stay away from the aerial bombs and the big explosives. Try to be sympathetic.”))

These "people" also don't know what sympathy towards others (like our veterans) is, unless we're talking crocodile tears at some relative's funeral after a drug deal went bad days before.
((Keep safety in mind as well. “Obviously, there's a danger,” said Fort Wayne Police Department spokesman Michael Joyner. “With those that go aerial and explode, residue could still be hot that could land on a structure or dry brush and start a fire.”))
You know Mike, that MIGHT work with people who give a shit, but these idiots down here have NO vested interest in the hovel THEY are cribbing in (this month), so what makes you think they give a shit about anyone else's house?
That's just dumb beyond belief.
((The shooting off of fireworks during non-designated hours is not easy for police to stop.
“It's a low-priority call for us,” Joyner acknowledged. “We'll respond when time allows. If we find someone in violation they certainly can be ticketed.”))

And there lies the major problem, Mike...LOW PRIORITY...for too MANY calls, but you'll bust an ass responding to some butt-dialing 911 hangup call. THAT is why we have noise violations out the ass, and fireworks calls since the beginning of JUNE with NO citations or arrests.
The amount of money the city LOSES by NOT responding fast enough and CITING these jerks could well pay for that stupid-ass riverfront project plus the sidewalks and alleys..
*** Next, and speaking of Fort Wayne's NEXT white elephant, we had this story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20170630/ground-broken-on-phase-1-of-riverfront-development

Yeah, those "good old boys" were breaking ground for this riverfront project (phase one).
I'll let you read it, I'm trying to keep my coffee down...lol.
Of course the picture (below) shows a PLAYGROUND in this park deal.
Lemme clue these politicos in on something...the playgrounds we already HAVE don't attract the number of kids they should.
That's why we see their little asses in our STREETS all the damn time...and in our ALLEYS.
THAT...IS...A...FACT!

Many of the parks are already home to sex pervs, druggies, and the like. Goes to show the parks ARE being used, just by the wrong "clientele". Guess the FWPD has a "low priority" on THAT crap too?
*** Next up, let's move well beyond the nonsense, and drop by "Kitten Corner"...

The kids had a good day yesterday, playing with that saucer-jingle-ball thing. Well, Gallifrey did.
Violet was content to drag her piece of old knotted clothesline through the house...lol.

And then, it was time to take things easier (if that's possible) by watching the world and napping.
At least no speed limits were broken...heh.
*** Next, let's see what's going on in our "Tales of Midnight"...

Our reliable fuzzy-buddy was right on time yesterday morning, and he got his food as usual.
After that, he spent a lot of the day elsewhere, but showed back up by late afternoon for (you guessed it) more food.

When it rained, away he went again, and he managed to stay dry overnight, because he wasn't even damp this morning when he came around. Smart cat. I admire that.
*** Last back to the mud room...I spoke yesterday about anger and what riles me up.

The riverfront is doing a much better job that Parkview Field did years ago, I have to admit.
We have kids running all over, unsupervised with no structure in their lives, and the mayor (as well as civic leaders) must be fine with that. This is the kind of stuff the city turns a blind eye and deaf ear to all the damn time.
And yet, they pursue all these "pie-in-the-sky" Utopian dreamscapes in the "hope" that people will fall over themselves utilizing them. The bloom goes off the rose a LOT sooner these days, thanks to constantly diverted attention spans.

I don't doubt for a moment that the riverfront WILL look nice and be as functional as these pundits claim, but it's NOT helping the majority of citizens who have to constantly deal with all the crime the city is permitting to occur.
As yet, I have not seen any evidence of law-enforcement (here) doing anything when it comes to the Broken Window Theory.

Welcome to the SOUTH SIDE.

They permit the small things to happen, and when it leads to big things (robberies, homicides, shootings, stabbings, etc), THEN, they feel compelled to intervene. Sorry, that's NOT policing; that's INVESTIGATING.
There is little preventive consistency at work here, and there SHOULD be, knowing  how certain parts of town have been allowed to devolve over the years.

Sure, you can make the drug busts, but that's only ONE facet of a much larger problem.
You have to address the (criminal and societal) issues that lead UP to those drug raids, because when you do, then many of those drug houses might never get a chance to get rolling as they do.
Try heading off problems BEFORE they get out of hand, rather than reacting to them AFTER the fact.
It's a good way to police citizens, and, more importantly, it's a damn fine way to go through life itself.
Therein lies the lesson for today.
DO have yourselves a good weekend.

Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.
(see 'ya next month)